Have yourself a happy little Thanksgiving...

My first year to have to make Thanksgiving dinner all by myself. OK, I'll admit, I am not a total novice...I have made a turkey before and one year ago today my husband left from R&R to go back to Iraq and since he was going to miss the big turkey day, I made him a mini Thanksgiving feast consisting of a ham, dressing, green rice and a pumpkin log. So, anyhow I am optimistic everything will turn out alright, but it still seems like a daunting task!

My Thanksgiving menu:

Turkey
Mom's Dressing
Turkey Gravy
Green Rice (some people call this, broccoli/cheese rice...in my family we call it green rice!)
Rolls
homemade cranberry sauce
Pumpkin Cheescake

Upon typing this menu I have realized that it may seem a bit ambitious, but for now I feel confident and so far nothing is burned ;)

I do NOT want a lecture from YOU of all people!!!

Virginia is filled with national treasures that are cared for and run by the National Park Service. I have been to various parks and recreation facilities administered to by the NPS. But, I have NEVER experienced such poor staffing models and literal customer service ignorance as I have at the NPS parks here in Virginia. I won't get into the exorbitant amount of overpaid, under-trained, unaware park rangers that we have encountered (such as the meager spoken wall flower at Appomattox Plantation or the unsociable, inconsiderate, unable to stand the 85 degree heat, park ranger at the Petersburg Battlefield), but I fully intend to address the impolite, boorish, discourteous, RUDE park ranger I encountered today!

Let me set the scene for you......

Andrew and I enter the Yorktown Battlefield visitors center to purchase tickets. The tickets were $10/person, now I won't get into the principle that WE as tax payers pay for the maintenance, upkeep and staffing of this said park, and now because I want to visit this park that I (or you for that matter) pay for, you have to pay to enter. But, I digress......the point of the matter is that we enter the visitor's center well aware that we are going to have to pay for tickets to enter. So, we enter the desk and the nice, elderly gentlemen asks how he could help us, to which we reply, "we need tickets." The nice, little old man, then tells us that it is going to be $20. To which I reply, "Is there a military discount?" Now, the nice little old man tells me that there is no military discount that the same department that runs the military, runs the parks service. Which of course I don't buy...because I know that the NPS is run by the department of the interior and the military is fun by the department of defense which is an entirely different appropriation, understandably they are all paid for by tax payers, perhaps all department of the interior employees should be allowed to fight in Iraq/Afghanistan for free in exchange for members of the military being allowed to enter NPS parks for free..... but again....I digress.....

Now, enter the impolite, boorish, discourteous, RUDE park ranger onto the scene. After the nice, polite, but inherently unable to understand budgetary appropriations park ranger takes our money, he then hands us a receipt and passes us along to yet another park ranger (you are probably thinking that this system seems quite inefficient....2 park rangers to do but 1 job...and you would be correct, but when has the Government been left to do anything that is efficient???). This next park ranger is when the drama ensues. She begins to lolly-gag about doing her ONE job (which is to give us our bright green tickets that screams to the entire world, "I paid my $10 to be here!") in favor of doing something which is NOT in her job description.... ....lecture me about what I should or should not expect as a military family member. She further proceeds to tell me that, "She was in the military AND she now works for the National Parks Service...and she doesn't even get into the park for free. But that she didn't do it so people would give her free things and that we shouldn't expect free things either."

*****INSERT MENTAL PICTURE OF ME FUMING RED*******

YES, IDIOT LADY...MY HUSBAND SERVES IN THE MILITARY FOR ALL THE FREE THINGS HE GETS...WHICH REALLY MAKES UP FOR THE YEAR HE SPENT AWAY FROM HOME, FIGHTING FOR IDIOTS LIKE YOU TO SAY IDIOTIC THINGS LIKE YOU JUST SAID! After taking a deep breath, I replied to her that, "I did not expect free things but I did expect some respect." Now at this point in time, Andrew has begun directing me away from the counter as he could see that following shortly was a swing across the counter to straighten this broad out. I am pretty sure that nowhere in her job description does it state to, "be as rude to visitors as humanly possible, giving as many visitors as possible a lecture on what they should or should not expect, based on your minuscule version of the world." I just honestly can not believe how crass and disrespectful this park ranger was...and from now on I am not going to take it, NO I ain't gonna take...I'm not gonna take it anymore! I am starting a movement....NO MORE RUDE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY NO MORE RUDE PARK RANGERS!

My new camera!!!

For my Birthday/Anniversary/Christmas present my husband got me a brand new SLR camera. I had been wanting a really good, high quality camera with lots of bells and whistles to capture our journeys around the world. I wasn't expecting to get such an awesome camera...I was thinking baseline model.....my, husband always thinks top of the line...so we compromised and got a very mid-level model.

I got the Cannon EOS Digital Rebel T1I
Best Buy was running a special so I got a package deal that included the camera base, the 18-55mm IS lens, a 55-250mm lens and a bag. I am still a photography novice, but I am excited to learn to take beautiful pictures.....eeek...so excited!

A few photos.

singing me Happy Birthday

After my hubby got back from a run. He doesn't like this picture b/c he thinks he looks all sweaty
but I think its adorable.
An Autumn hair...SHOCKING!

Andrew and Autumn are my only models and I think they are getting tired of having their pictures taken...Danielle do you want to let me practice on baby C?

I turned another year older...

As most of you (if anybody actually reads this blog)probably know it was my Birthday yesterday. I had an absolutely fabulous day in spite of the fact that I turned....gulp...26! When I turned 25, I decided that was the age that I became an actual adult....so what does 26 mean? Well, basically I have decided that it means nothing! Turning 26 does not make me an old woman...I am still young and vivacious, and heck I don't look a day over 23 (humor me here). Now I offer proof that I am really just overgrown 8 year old:

1: I squealed (that really, high pitched, annoying 8 year old squeal) when I woke up to find a gift on the coffee table (even though there wasn't really anything in it, it was a piece of paper saying that he would take me to go buy the camera of my choice).

2. I essentially stuffed my face with breakfast and ran around with the dog so we could quickly get ready to go get my gift.

3. While at Best Buy, I wanted everything in the store.

4. While at the Class 6, I wanted everything in the store. (OK, maybe that isn't proof that I am an overgrown 8 year old so much as an overgrown college kid)

5. While at Old Navy, I again wanted everything in the store. Speaking of, Old Navy has all their jackets 50% off and we got an additional 30% off so you can get a pretty good deal on some pretty nice looking jackets...which is particularly important if you are moving to say...GERMANY, where the weather is not exactly like Texas.

6. Once we got home from shopping it took me approximately 2 seconds to open up the camera and then I moped when I had to wait TWO full hours for the battery to charge. (in fairness I only could wait for about 45 minutes before I had to play just a little bit)

7. I had a serious mop-fest when I realized my husband had forgotten to get the ice cream cake I requested for my Birthday. (Don't worry, he did eventually get me one)

8. At dinner, I stuffed myself to the point that I actually started to throw up in my mouth a little...how irresponsible is that! Which leads me to my review of Texas de Brazil:

http://www.texasdebrazil.com/

I saw a billboard for the restaurant when I dropped Andrew's parents off at the airport after they visited us. I of course honed in on it because it had the word, "Texas" in the title, and being the good Texan that I am I came home and looked it up. Then I remembered, my oldest sister Kim, always talking about this Brazilian steakhouse they would eat at, and how fabulous it is. Of course then I knew that we had to go there for my Birthday!!! Here is basically how it works. Everybody pays a flat amount and that pays for an amazing upscale salad bar (think prosciutto, goat cheese, and the most fabulous grilled provolone), soup and side bar (lobster bisque, brazilian black beans, potatoes gratin, mushrooms in a garlic wine sauce) and the main event: ALL YOU CAN EAT MEAT!!!

On each table is a card that on one side is green and the other red. When the green side is up they keep bringing you random assortments of meat: leg of lamb, lamb chops, top sirloin, filet Mignon, Brazilian sausage, beef ribs, chicken wrapped in bacon served with homemade chimichurri and mint relish for the lamb. Everything was so good, and lets face it you are paying for meat....so of course we both fully intended to stuff ourselves beyond what is right, or good, or acceptable. All the meat was amazing, served medium rare (you could ask for it to be cooked further...but why would you? I actually got a little annoyed when they kept giving Andrew the more rare pieces of meat.....I ain't no dainty flower, give me the real deal, red meat!) If you ever have a chance to go, I would highly advise it. My recommendation is to fast the day of and the day before you go and be very selective on what you eat from the salad bar, save yourself for the meat!

Thanks to everyone for the Birthday wishes, cards and phone calls, I love you all!

My dear friends....

Today's tragic events at Ft. Hood leaves me with an entrenched sadness and queasiness. When I came home and turned on the TV to find a news alert that the fine Soldiers of Ft. Hood had been evilly and sadistically attacked by none other than a fellow "Soldier," I was appalled! I use the term Soldier lightly here, as he obviously had no regard for the true meaning and service of an American Soldier. Army Officers are strong, capable, selfless individuals who serve to protect and defend our great nation. This man may have pinned Major, but he did not reflect any values that an Army officer would hold. I find him to be a disgrace to the Army, the Army Officer Corps and mankind.

I am so grateful for the safety of all of my beloved friends and family I left behind at Ft. Hood. I love you all so dearly and am sincerely grateful that Army brought you into my life.

I leave you with some thoughts from my husband:

Not all facts are know right now, but at approximately 1330 Central Standard Time, Major Nidal Malik Hasan commenced with a horrendous attack at the Soldier Readiness Center on Fort Hood, TX. This murderous act, which left at least 11 innocent people dead and many more wounded, has little rhyme or reason to it. All that is known is that Hasan was opposed to the Iraq and Afghan wars and that he was set to deploy soon.

Hasan's cousin appeard on Fox News, defending the Army Major as a "good American," a claim which seems a little hard to swallow given the facts. Major Hasan may have once been well-intentioned, but today's events are not simply the tragic aftermath of a "good American" under bad conditions. No excuses should be afforded this man.

The news made a lot of Major Hasan's rank and his job working with Soldiers returning from combat with psychological stress. That a man entrusted with helping Soldiers through the aftermath of war would then violate that trust by attacking these same Soldiers (the Soldier Readiness Center is the in-processing center for troops returning from combat or out-processing center for troops preparing to deploy) is tragic and outrageous. So too is it sickening to think that a Major in the United States Army, someone charged with protecting Soldiers, would shoot them down without mercy.

The news called this man an "Army officer" but they were mistaken. He was a major, but not an officer. Officers don't murder fellow Soldiers; officers live by an oath and a code of honor. What happened today is so far from that that it is almost impossible to fathom such dereliction of duty.

His cousin indicated that Hasan had faced criticism for his opposition to the war and his "refusal" to deploy. Let there be no mistake here, there is NO honor in refusing to do one's duty. Many consciencious objectors have served honorably in non-combatant roles (Hasan was a mental health professional). Many more consciencious objectors managed to face the consequences of their political views without gunning down a dozen innocent Soldiers.

There will be those, like Hasan's cousin, who will try to say his story is one of tragedy, but the only tragedy is that he was not stopped before he pulled the trigger.